Khor Virap is located near ancient Artashat, at the foot of Mount Ararat, and is linked to the well‑known tradition about Saint Gregory the Illuminator. According to the story, he was kept here for about 13 years in a “khor virap”, a deep pit, until King Tiridates III was healed and in 301 Armenia became the first Christian country. In the 4th–5th centuries, a small Christian church is already mentioned on this site, and in 642, during the catholicosate of Nerses III the Builder, the chapel of Saint George was constructed. The present monastic complex took shape in the 17th century, when the Church of the Holy Mother of God, the monastic cells, and the defensive walls were built, and today it is one of the most famous pilgrimage sites in Armenia, renowned for its view of Mount Ararat.